New study contradicts earlier theory of red wine consumption being good for heart

Those who feel indulgent about sipping a glass of red wine occasionally and think it is good for cardiac health may be in for a shock, if the finding of a new study reaches them. Contrary to what doctors and health experts believed for decades, a new study finding indicates drinking red wine may not actually do anything to boost your cardiac health. The antioxidant component Resveratrol, thought to be good for heart health and immunity from fatal diseases, present in red wine may not offer health benefits, say the researchers. This may hold significance for people in developing nations like India, where a section of the population believes drinking red wine is healthy.

The study carried out at Baltimore’s John’s Hopkins University shows the so called French Paradox- may not be owing to red wine consumption. Earlier it was thought French people suffer from fewer heart ailments despite gorging on high cholesterol foods because of indulging in dark chocolate and red wine. Dr. Richard Semba, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s professor said, “The story of resveratrol turns out to be another case where you get a lot of hype about health benefits that doesn’t stand the test of time. The thinking was that certain foods are good for you because they contain resveratrol. We didn’t find that at all”. He is one of the study authors.

The groundbreaking study involved more than 750 women and men in Chianti region of Italy. The researchers measured levels of resveratrol at gaps of 3 years. The markers of cancer and heart disease that were documented include Cholesterol, Blood pressure, Mortality and Coronary artery disease. Over 34 percent of the candidates died and another 34 percent developed cancer. While the researchers were trying to find proof that resveratrol was beneficial they found groups with low amount doing better than others.

While the study findings are important, they are not definitive, feel medical fraternity. While the study authors established a correlation between heart health and red wine consumption, they cannot say with certainty one can cause the other. Besides, the group drinking maximum amount of red wine were heavy smokers and that could have affected the results. Previous studies carried out mostly in lab involved rodents and their positive outcomes resulted in flourishing of the resveratrol supplementation business in the USA. However, leading health entities like AHA, WHO and HSFC recommend against drinking any form of alcohol in heavy amounts.